State Affairs

MINUTES
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
DATE: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
TIME: 8:00 A.M.
PLACE: Room WW55
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Chairman Guthrie, Vice Chairman Bernt, Senators Hawkins (Anthon), Harris,
Toews, Den Hartog, Adams, Shippy, and Ruchti
ABSENT/
EXCUSED:
None
NOTE: The sign-in sheet, testimonies and other related materials will be retained with the
minutes in the committee's office until the end of the session and will then be
located on file with the minutes in the Legislative Services Library.
CONVENED: Chairman Guthrie called the meeting of the Senate State Affairs Committee
(Committee) to order at 8:00 a.m.
WELCOME: Chairman Guthrie welcomed Mayor Joan Hawkins of Malad, Idaho who was
stepping in for Senator Anthon. Senator Hawkins (Anthon) said that she was
enjoying her time in the Senate and believed it was a good opportunity to meet
legislators and learn more about the process. Chairman Guthrie asked how long
Senator Hawkins (Anthon) had been Mayor of Malad. She shared it had been 14
years and she had 2 years left in her current term.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Adams moved to approve the Minutes of February 11, 2026. Senator
Toews seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Harris moved to approve the Minutes of February 13, 2026. Senator Den
Hartog seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Bernt moved to approve the Minutes of February 16, 2026. Senator
Ruchti seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33441 INL, Expansion of Research and Development. Senator Lent shared that
he worked on this legislation with the Attorney General's Office and it had to do
with new nuclear projects they wanted to bring to the Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory. Senator Lent believed that this resolution would open Idaho to
significant changes in light of recent requests made for information regarding the
resurgence of the nuclear industry in our country.
MOTION: Senator Toews moved to send RS 33441 to print. Senator Den Hartog seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
DISCUSSION: Senator Den Hartog noted that all Senators presenting an RS needed to make
sure that the fiscal note was filled out properly, and if there was no impact on
Idaho's General Fund, the reason for that needed to be noted as well.
RS 32911 Code Cleanup, State Controller. Senator Blaylock shared this was an effort to
cleanup Idaho Code regarding the State Controller's office and comply with the
Idaho Code Cleanup Act passed in 2025.
MOTION: Senator Adams moved to send RS 32911 to print. Senator Toews seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33141C1 State Agencies, Agreement. Senator Blaylock said that this legislation
strengthened an existing statute that required agencies to disclose specific
information about agreements and contracts.

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MOTION: Senator Shippy moved to send RS 33141C1 to print. Senator Den Hartog
seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33386 Affidavit in Lieu of Identification. Senator Lenney explained that this was the
revised version of his previous voter affidavit legislation. This version would not
eliminate voter affidavits as a whole, but instead require the voter to have their date
of birth or driver's license number verified before filling out a ballot.
MOTION: Senator Harris moved to send RS 33386 to print. Senator Adams seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33136 Refugee Resettlement, Audit. Senator Lenney said that refugee resettlement
programs had been running for the last 50 years but none of the key organizations
were in Idaho Code. He explained this would be an audit for information requiring
those organizations to answer to the State.
MOTION: Senator Den Hartog moved to send RS 33136 to print. Senator Bernt seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33321 Gold, Silver, Specie. Senator Hart explained this legislation would strengthen
Idaho Code for those who wanted to do commerce in gold and silver and would
enforce contracts made by those who use gold and silver as a form of payment.
MOTION: Senator Toews moved to send RS 33321 to print. Senator Harris seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33028 Precinct Committeemen. Senator Hart shared that this legislation would allow
local committees to add criteria used in deciding who can be committeemen.
DISCUSSION: Senator Ruchti asked Senator Hart what the remedy would be in the instance
local committees implemented criteria deemed to be discriminatory. Senator
Hart said that if it was a civil liberties discrimination that it would most likely be
handled by lawsuit. Senator Hart shared an example of current criteria where the
committeemen would voluntarily vacate their seat if four meetings in a row were
missed. Senator Adams asked if there were other counties that had implemented
that vacancy criteria. Senator Hart said yes, but could not name specific counties.
MOTION: Senator Toews moved to send RS 33028 to print. Senator Den Hartog seconded
the motion.
DISCUSSION: Senator Ruchti noted that he saw several potential problems with this legislation
but would vote to send the legislation to print.
VOICE VOTE: The motion to send RS 33028 to print carried by voice vote.
RS 33338 Judges, Vacancies, Residency. Senator Hart explained that this legislation
would prevent those appointed to fill a vacancy for a judge from running in the
next election. He believed this was necessary because incumbent judges are
the most likely to be voted for.
MOTION: Senator Shippy moved to send RS 33338 to print. Senator Den Hartog seconded
the motion
DISCUSSION: Senator Ruchti explained that he could not support the motion. His main issue
was that there would be very few people willing to fill judicial vacancies. He
acknowledged how much judges give up to take on their roles and believes this
would not be good for the judicial system if implemented.
MOTION: The motion to send RS 33338 to print carried by voice vote with Senator Ruchti
and Senator Harris having voted nay.
RS 33396 Black and White License Plates. Senator Den Hartog explained that this
legislation would create a new specialty license plate and the proceeds of it would
support salaries for the Idaho State Police.
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 18, 2026—Minutes—Page 2

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MOTION: Senator Harris moved to send RS 33396 to print. Senator Toews seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33420 Emergency Care Affordability Act. Senator Bernt explained that this bill
would create a new Chapter 67, Title 41 of Idaho Code to regulate billing and
reimbursement practices for out-of-network, freestanding emergency rooms. He
said it was meant to address how these facilities were reimbursed by insurance
companies.
MOTION: Senator Den Hartog moved to send RS 33420 to print. Senator Harris seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33379 Department of Lands, Legal Counsel. Senator Harris explained this legislation
was meant to clear up confusion for both the Attorney General's Office and the
Department of Lands that stemmed from a past senate bill that allowed the
Department of Lands to hire its own council.
MOTION: Senator Bernt moved to send RS 33379 to print. Senator Den Hartog seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33382 Property Rights, Protection. Senator Harris shared that this legislation was an
effort to protect private property rights from unsolicited visits from law enforcement
without a warrant.
MOTION: Senator Shippy moved to send RS 33382 to print. Senator Den Hartog seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
H 613 POLLING PLACES- Amends existing law to provide for the securing of
liability insurance coverage for private facilities used as polling places and
to limit liability for private facilities used as polling places on election day.
Senator Harris yielded time to Representative Britt Raybould of District 34. She
explained the time factor associated with this legislation as 2026 was an election
year. Representative Raybould shared that this would reduce civil liability for
facilities acting as a polling locations through the Secretary of State's self insured
policy provided by the Department of Administration. She shared this would not
have any impact on the General Fund because it extended existing coverage.
DISCUSSION: Senator Ruchti clarified that this legislation would have the State bear the liability
burden rather than the private entity volunteering to act as a polling location, which
Representative Raybould confirmed, but this extended to election activities only.
Senator Ruchti proposed a hypothetical on-site injury and asked such situation
would be dealt with. Representative Raybould explained that the language
specified that in such a case, it would have to be proven that the activity in question
was relevant to the person being in the building for election purposes and covered
only the designated polling time frame.
MOTION: Senator Adams motioned to send H 613 to the Senate floor with a do pass
recommendation. Senator Bernt seconded the motion. The motion carried by
voice vote.
PRESENTATION: Acknowledgement of Page- Chayse Van Eps. Chairman Guthrie thanked
Chayse Van Eps for the work she had done for the Committee during her time as
a Page and invited her to talk about her experience. Ms. Van Eps shared that
she had learned a lot about the legislative process and that her outlook on it had
changed since she started. She explained the hands-on experience she gained at
the Senate had a humanizing effect on politics and policy.
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 18, 2026—Minutes—Page 3

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DISCUSSION: Chairman Guthrie asked what her future plan was. Ms. Van Eps said that she
planned to attend BYU Hawaii after graduation and that this experience helped
her narrow down her interest in pursuing a journalism or communications career.
She said that she admired the Senators' ability to communicate clearly and speak
with eloquence. Ms. Van Eps told Senator Den Hartog how inspiring it had been
for her to see a woman in such a powerful leadership position and asked her
what advice she had for young women aspiring to pursue a political career one
day. Senator Den Hartog said it was important to stay true to yourself and your
principles and consistently stand firm in your beliefs. She said that honesty and
open-mindedness can take someone far, and that applied to women in any field.
ADJOURNED: There being no further business at this time, Chairman Guthrie adjourned the
meeting at 8:38.
___________________________ ___________________________
Senator Guthrie Abby Rowe
Chair Secretary
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 18, 2026—Minutes—Page 4

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MINUTES
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
DATE: Friday, January 30, 2026
TIME: 8:00 A.M.
PLACE: Room WW55
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Chairman Guthrie, Vice Chairman Bernt, Senators Anthon, Harris, Toews, Den
Hartog, Adams, Shippy, and Ruchti
ABSENT/
EXCUSED:
None
NOTE: The sign-in sheet, testimonies and other related materials will be retained with the
minutes in the committee's office until the end of the session and will then be
located on file with the minutes in the Legislative Services Library.
CONVENED: Chairman Guthrie called the meeting of the Senate State Affairs Committee
(Committee) to order at 8:00 a.m.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Adams moved to approve the Minutes of January 21, 2026. Senator
Toews seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Den Hartog moved to approve the Minutes of January 23, 2026. Senator
Harris seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
Senator Bernt moved to approve the Minutes of January 26, 2026. Senator
Ruchti seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33059 Political Violence. Senator Ruchti noted the inspiration behind this was the
resolution on political violence produced by the Idaho House of Representatives.
He explained that Senate Minority and Majority leadership wanted to work on this
together to produce a simple but effective stand against political violence. Senator
Ruchti explained that the ability to criticize the government was what kept elected
officials accountable to their constituents, and that political violence had no place
in politics or our free society.
DISCUSSION: Senator Bernt expressed his gratitude for the Minority and Majority leadership
for their collaboration on this issue and reiterated the importance of open and
respectful discourse among political parties.
MOTION: Senator Adams moved to send RS 33059 to print. Senator Bernt seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33130 Idaho E-Verify Act. Senator Harris explained that this legislation mandates state
and local governments as well as employers with over 150 employees to implement
the use of federal E-verify pilot programs for the hiring of new employees.
MOTION: Senator Bernt moved to send RS 33130 to print. Senator Adams seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 33020 Law Enforcement, Facial Coverings. Senator Ward-Engelking noted that
this proposed legislation was similar to legislation pending in our neighboring
states and its purpose was to ban facial coverings worn by law enforcement. This
legislation had several exceptions listed, for example, masks worn by Special
Weapons and Tactics teams and masks worn for medical reasons. Senator
Ward-Engelking urged the Committee to imagine how frightening someone
armed and masked could be to the average citizen in various scenarios.

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DISCUSSION: Senator Anthon asked Senator Ward-Engelking if she had spoken with law
enforcement agencies about this proposed legislation. Senator Ward-Engelking
explained that she had spoken with several officers that guided her in this process,
but was waiting until it was printed to bring it to specific agencies for feedback.
Senator Guthrie noted that he had spoken with Senator Ward-Engelking about
her discussions with law enforcement up until this point and that feedback would
be factored in when deciding whether or not to proceed.
MOTION: Senator Adams moved to send RS 33020 to print. Senator Ruchti seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
ADJOURNED: There being no further business at this time, Chairman Guthrie adjourned the
meeting at 8:12 a.m.
___________________________ ___________________________
Senator Guthrie Abby Rowe
Chair Secretary
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Friday, January 30, 2026—Minutes—Page 2

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For additional information, please contact Noah Peterson at the Budget and Policy Analysis Division
at npeterson@lso.idaho.gov, or at (208) 334-4749.
INFLATION ADJUSTED PER CAPITA SPENDING
M ETHODOLOGY
The goal of this project was to measure growth in budgets for the State of Idaho while accounting for
population and inflation as significant growth factors.
To account for those factors, dollars are shown on a per capita basis. Original appropriation –
appropriations set at Sine Die of a given legislative session – are divided by population as reported in that
year’s version of Idaho Fiscal Facts. For example, FY 2023 original appropriations (as found on page 33
of the 2023 Legislative Fiscal Report) are divided by 2023 Idaho State population as found on page 100
of the 2024 Fiscal Facts publication. Population totals for 2025 and 2026 taken from population
projections put forth by the Division of Financial Management.
The second half of the equation is to adjust all per capita figures for inflation, presenting them in 2025
dollars. In other words, the values are converted from nominal to real values using data from the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The per capita figure is
multiplied by an inflation factor calculated using CPI data.
C HARTS
Included in the slide deck are several different methods of displaying information. The data included are
original appropriations from the General Fund, state funds (General Funds + Dedicated Funds), and from
all appropriated funds from FY 2005-2026. Actual expenditure data are included for those same fund
categories for FY 2005-2025. Those figures are divided by total population to present them on a per
capita basis and adjusted for inflation to convert them from nominal into real values, as described in the
previous section.
All of those data are presented in two ways: The first is as a real per capita dollar figure for FY 2005
through FY 2026 (or FY 2025 if it is an expenditure chart). An example of this chart on the General Fund
is shown below:

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1
For additional information, please contact Noah Peterson at the Budget and Policy Analysis Division at
npeterson@lso.idaho.gov, or at (208) 334-4749.
The other type of chart included in this slide deck displays the same data as shown in the Real General
Fund Appropriations Per Capita Chart but is instead represented as a ratio between the listed year and
2005, which is the first year included in the data set. This chart is shown below:
For example, to reach the 1.09 index value shown for FY 2026, divide $2,725 (FY 2026 Real Per Capita
Appropriation) by $2,509 (FY 2005 Real Per Capita Appropriation). The resulting fraction is roughly
equal to 1.09. The significance of this figure is that after adjusting for population growth and inflation,
General Fund Per Capita Appropriations increased a total of 9% between FY 2005 and FY 2026. This is a
9% increase over 21 years, which is equal to an average annual growth rate of approximately 0.4%.

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MINUTES
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
DATE: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
TIME: 8:00 A.M.
PLACE: Room WW55
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Chairman Guthrie, Vice Chairman Bernt, Senators Anthon, Harris, Toews, Den
Hartog, Adams, Shippy, and Ruchti
ABSENT/
EXCUSED:
None
NOTE: The sign-in sheet, testimonies and other related materials will be retained with
the minutes in the committee's office until the end of the session and will then be
located on file with the minutes in the Legislative Services Library.
CONVENED: Chairman Guthrie called the meeting of the Senate State Affairs Committee
(Committee) to order at 8:00 a.m.
GUBERNATORIAL
APPOINTMENT:
Committee Consideration of the Gubernatorial Appointment of Leighton
Linning of Ammon, Idaho to the Commission on Human Rights to serve a
term commencing on August 29, 2025 and expiring July 1, 2027. Mr. Linning
gave a brief introduction of his background telling the Committee that he
attended Brigham Young University. After graduation, Mr. Linning moved to
Nashville, where he earned his JD from Nashville School of Law. Mr. Linning
shared with the Committee that he worked closely with the Tennessee Human
Rights Division during the MeToo movement before moving back to Idaho Falls
to become a county prosecutor. His time there introduced him to this area of
public service and motivated him to be part of the Idaho Commission on Human
Rights (Commission).
DISCUSSION: Senator Harris noted Mr. Linning's excitement and asked him what he would like
to see happen during his time with the Commission. Mr. Linning believed his
background practicing law would be beneficial as he hoped to increase fairness
and produce quick, impartial results. Chairman Guthrie noted Mr. Linning's
relation to Representative Joshua Wheeler.
GUBERNATORIAL
REAPPOINTMENT:
Committee Consideration of the Gubernatorial Reppointment of Brian
Scigliano of Boise, Idaho to the Commission on Human Rights to serve a
term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring July 1, 2028. Mr. Scigliano told the
Committee that he had served on the Commission for 20 years and was honored
to have been reappointed. He had been in Idaho for 31 years and had worked
in the private sector his whole career which was why he enjoyed working with
the Commission. Mr. Scigliano said that he found fulfillment in watching most
employers continuously do right by their employees and having the ability to
support those who had been mistreated.

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DISCUSSION: Chairman Guthrie asked Mr. Scigliano what the general response time was
for complaints filed. Mr. Scigliano explained that there had been a backlog of
complaints in the past due to the death of an employee but they had caught up
and moved complaints through quickly despite having had 80 cases just that
month. Senator Guthrie asked Mr. Scigliano what he believed the Commission
process was lacking. Mr. Scigliano believed that the current process was
excellent in that they had been able to quickly process complaints. He explained
that cases involving investigation occasionally take longer but overall the process
was efficient. Senator Shippy asked Mr. Scigliano to share in his experience
how many complaints had a probable cause and how many were perceived
biases. Mr. Scigliano said that the system the Commission put in place helped
to filter out claims that did not have a solid foundation and overall the percentage
of probable cause claims was small. Senator Ruchti noted his past experience
with claims similar to those brought to the Commission and asked Mr. Scigliano
if he saw a lot of cases that turned out to be founded on not getting along with
coworkers rather than actual violations of human rights. Mr. Scigliano elaborated
on the intake and complaint filtering process to explain how investigations were
deemed necessary. Mr. Scigliano shared with the Committee a time when a
former complainant expressed that although no discrimination was found to have
taken place in her case, she felt heard and seen by the Commission. Senator
Guthrie made a comment about how powerful feeling heard can be to a person
even if they do not receive their desired outcome.
GUBERNATORIAL
REAPPOINTMENT
VOTE:
Committee vote on the Gubernatorial Reappointment of Megan Ronk to
the Commission on Human Rights. Senator Anthon moved to send the
Gubernatorial Reappointment of Megan Ronk, to the Commission on Human
Rights, to the floor with the recommendation that she be confirmed. Senator
Den Hartog seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
GUBERNATORIAL
APPOINTMENT
VOTE:
Committee Vote on the Gubernatorial Appointment of Salvador Cruz to the
Treasurer's Advisory Board. Senator Harris moved to send the Gubernatorial
Appointment of Salvador Cruz, to the Treasurer's Advisory Board, to the floor
with the recommendation that he be confirmed. Senator Toews seconded the
motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
RS 32980 Public Lands in Idaho. Senator Adams described his proposed legislation
which would amend Section 8, Article IX of the Idaho Constitution to make a
distinction between State Endowment Lands granted for specific institutional
purposes and public lands acquired from the federal government. Senator
Adams explained the intent behind the change and assured the Committee that
Section 8 would not lose its central ideas, instead, it would better them. He
believed that this legislation was vital as public lands belonged to the people
of Idaho.
DISCUSSION: Senator Ruchti made a comment indicating he would like to hear from
stakeholders and believed that information about the fiscal cost of the State
managing lands acquired from the federal government would be beneficial.
MOTION: Senator Den Hartog moved to send RS 32980 to print. Senator Harris
seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.
ADJOURNED: There being no further business at this time, Chairman Guthrie adjourned the
meeting at 8:21 a.m.
___________________________ ___________________________
Senator Guthrie Abby Rowe
Chair Secretary
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, January 21, 2026—Minutes—Page 2

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